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Semarang sex workers oppose closure of red-light-district
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The Sunan Kuning red-light district of Semarang, Central Java, is home to some 475 sex workers. (JP/Suherdjoko )
E
asy money and the need to make a living are the main reasons for residents’ opposition to plans to close the lucrative red-light district of Sunan Kuning in the Central Java capital of Semarang.
The sex workers shouted back at Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi when he sought to win them over for the plan. “All of you have to change your mindset. Let’s earn a living for our families in the rightful way. Let’s close this chapter of Sunan Kuning,” Hendrar said during a meeting with the sex workers in the area’s public hall on Wednesday.
An estimated Rp 1 billion worth of daily transactions occur in Sunan Kuning, which hosts 475 sex workers. It is going to be closed in accordance with the Social Affairs Ministry’s mission to eradicate all red-light districts in Indonesia in 2019.
A sex worker told The Jakarta Post that she had to earn a living for her three children and had worked there for six years.
“I have three kids. I like working here, I get tipped a lot,” she said.
Two other sex workers agreed with her, each saying they had earnt enough money within a year of working in the area to build a house back in their respective hometowns.
According to the sex workers, they can earn Rp 1 million (US$70.11) a day. The area houses karaoke joints, restaurants and bars as well as supporting businesses, such as laundry centers and grocery shops.
